The great hammerhead shark is found in warm tropical waters worldwide. This species of shark feeds on stingrays, guitarfish, whiptail stingrays, eagle rays and skates. It will also eat other sharks and bony fish including catfish and groupers.

The front of the great hammerhead shark’s head is nearly straight and greatly elongated with flattened lobes that have a central indentation. The shape and size of the lobes are responsible for the name “hammerhead.” The hammerhead shark gives birth to live young. Their heads are so flexible at birth, the lobes fold against the body to ease their way out of the birth passage. Litters of 13-42 pups are common, with larger females having larger litters.

Witness the great hammerhead sharks in Ocean Voyager at the Georgia Aquarium.

• In Africa, it is also known as a horned shark.
• The “hammer” appears to function as a second set of pectoral fins, probably giving the hammerhead greater maneuverability.
• This shark moves forward with the straightforward intensity of a rushing truck.
• The great hammerhead shark is the largest of the nine known species of hammerhead sharks.
• The maximum recorded length for this shark is 19.68 feet.

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